According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in 2022 Indonesia imported 26.22 tons of used clothing and used textile goods (HS code 63090000).
The total import value reached USD 272,146, or approximately Rp 4.18 billion (at an exchange rate of Rp 15,375 per USD).
Throughout 2022, the largest import value of used clothing came from Australia, namely USD 225,941 or approximately Rp 3.5 billion.
The next largest import values came from Japan, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, China, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as shown in the graph.
However, the above data may not fully represent the facts. There may be imports of used clothing entering Indonesia through "unofficial channels," resulting in their value not being recorded.
This was mentioned by the Deputy for Small and Medium Enterprises at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Hanung Harimba Rachman. He requested that customs officers be stricter in monitoring the inflow of goods from abroad into the country.
"Perhaps later, customs officers can intensify [their efforts], and investigations can also be conducted on sellers (of imported used clothing) in Indonesia. It's actually easy to trace where they import from," said Hanung, as reported by *Katadata.co.id* on Monday, March 13, 2023.
Previously, Minister of Trade Regulation Number 40 of 2022 had prohibited the import of used clothing. This regulation became effective starting June 21, 2022.
However, Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs Teten Masduki stated that there are still a number of Indonesian SMEs selling imported used clothing or thrifting goods on e-commerce platforms and social media.
"Later, we will certainly reprimand and follow up on e-commerce platforms if they sell illegal imported used goods, but it's more difficult to stop it on social media," said Teten.